I was so excited to read Alex Finlay's latest novel after being a huge fan of The Night Shift, however I had trouble getting started with this one. The multiple narrators and drop into the middle of the action beginning took me aback. While I found the action exciting and overall story compelling, it took me a while to get into. Once I did, I was glad I finished and found it to be a quick and thrilling read. It lacked the depth of character I felt with Finaly's previous work, but overall still well written and a solid mystery.

This was so much different than other Alex Finlay's novels! They haven't spoken in years but a group of friends who met long ago at Savior House are bonded for life. The Savior House is a home for teens without parents. Donnie, Nico and Jenna are now living very different lives. They know a terrible secret from 25 years ago, and the past is creeping up on them. How did their secret get out? Who is coming for them?
Character development is kinda flat in this novel but the twisty punches keep on coming! Entertainment value is great. Love the short chapters. Its a book worth reading for a quick, fun and wild ride. 3.5 stars.

I had such freaking HIGH HOPES for this book. I absolutely loved + devoured + recommended Finlay's book The Night Shift last year, so I just knew this was going to be a gem. It started out SO strong for me. I was hooked instantly.

You've got multiple POVs - Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. One is a stay at home mom with a past, one is a has been rockstar, and one a reality TV producer. Jenna's storyline was by far my favorite of these. You also get an extra POV thrown in there every now and then - the twins. I liked the twins. And I wasn't supposed to, but I felt like they had some comedy + just straight up sinisterness to this book.

Now, here's the thing with multiple POVs and different story lines it's natural for things to get confusing, but HOLY MOLY they got confusing. It took away from all the good that was happening for me. I began to get bored and it made any shock factor that may have been non-existant.

One thing I did love was the setting. I feel like the setting of a group home with foster kids was more unique for a book like this. Although it was kind of a let down for me, I do think this was still a fun read. It is ACTION packed the entire time (even if I was confused 🙃) and it was an incredibly quick read with short chapters, which is always fun!

Thank you so much @minotaur_books for my #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

What Have We Done is the latest thriller from Alex Finlay. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I have to say it was a pretty wild ride!

This twisty story follows five seemingly different characters who on the surface have little in common – Ben is a federal judge, Donnie is a mostly washed-up rock star, Nico is a television producer, Jenna is a former assassin turned housewife, and Artemis is a wealthy entrepreneur. What these five do have in common is that 25 years ago, they all lived at Savior House, a group home for orphaned teens. While Savior House was meant to be a safe place for these teens, instead it was an environment of abuse and neglect and also a place where several teen girls that lived there mysteriously disappeared. The home is eventually shut down and the teens all eventually go on to lead successful lives, although they all still have painful memories from their time at Savior House, as well as a deadly secret.

When one of them is killed, and attempts are made on the lives of the other four, it leads the now-grown Savior House kids to have a reunion they never expected to have. It surely isn’t a coincidence that all of them have been targeted and they need to get to the bottom of who is after them after all these years and why.

I love a good twisty thriller so I really enjoyed how this novel was structured. The story unfolds primarily from the perspectives of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie, who were best friends while at Savior House. We follow each of them from the moment the attempt is made on their lives and get their perspective on everything as they try to piece together what is going on, first solo, and then as a team once they finally meet up. The story also alternates between past and present so that in addition to following these characters as they try to figure out who is after them, we also get flashbacks to when they were teens and therefore get a bird’s eye view of all of the horrors that took place at Savior House.

While I really enjoyed the story overall, I did have a couple of issues as I was reading, the first being that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. I was definitely sympathetic to what they were going through and how terrifying it must have been, but that was the end of my connection to any of them. I also found myself preferring some of the perspectives over others, Jenna’s was much more interesting than the others so I found myself skimming through their chapters to hurry up and get back to hers. Overall, I enjoyed all three perspectives, but this did make for an uneven read for me. The skeptic in me also found all of their career choices to be somewhat farfetched – entertaining yes, believable not really.

Even with those few issues, I would still say I enjoyed my first Alex Finlay novel. I liked the suspenseful build up to the reveal and that the closer we got to the reveal, the wilder the ride became, and I definitely loved that the story kept me guessing until the final pages. If you like twisty reads filled with dark secrets from the past, you’ll want to check out What Have We Done.

This book kept my attention and intrigued. There were quite a few twists towards the end. I’d recommend this book to thriller/mystery fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of What Have We Done by Alex Finlay. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

What Have We Done is my new favorite book written by Alex Finlay. I loved the weaving of the multiple POVs to create a strong suspense story that had me hooked to the last page. While the idea that all of these children that were in the system because super successful and famous was a bit unbelievable, it still was highly entertaining. I give this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

I started this book two days before the end of the month. I honestly didn’t think it would finish it in 48 hours but I was hooked! It does start off a bit confusing as all these characters are thrown at you while also jumping across different time lines but it does come together after a few chapters.

It’s a super fast paced story and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t put it down! The twist was a bit of a shocker but I think the author missed a connection between the killer and Boo Radley.

⚠️spoiler alert ⚠️

Both characters were the odd quiet type who were constantly being picked on for being different. So yes, the proof is not only with Boo Radley but is also Boo Radley.

Overall, I thought it was a great read and j was entertained the entire time.

This book was a crazy ride! We have many POVs and there is a lot going on! This is definitely a book that I would read with a physical copy or ebook versus the audiobook especially to start - I listened to the audiobook for most of it and it was a bit confusing at first because of the multiple POVs and the different timelines, especially because I didn't find there was a ton to clue the reader into the fact something was a flashback. That being said, the book has short chapters, which just add to the already fast pace and there is plenty of action but not much character development. Having read Finlay's books before, this one does read a little different - I found there was less tension this time around- and I feel like you need to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. All in all, still a fun read, especially if you want something a little more wild and fast!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: Gun Violence, Violence, Addiction, Bullying, Child Death, Murder, Rape, Trafficking, Child abuse.

Alex Finlay brings you tons of suspense in this book. From the very beginning you will immediately get hooked.
A group of teens hold a bond over a secret they all share after an explosive night at the group home they all got dumped at.
Years later after they've moved on and become pretty successful , they each narrowly escape attempts on their lives.
When trying to unravel the who and the why, a heart breaking and shocking truth is revealed.
This book had me on pins and needles. I loved the past and present aspects, and I loved how you get a good deep dive into each of these characters.
The storyline had action all the way through, and I appreciate that it never let up. This was my first Alex Finlay book, and I do believe I'll be a fan from this point on.

Alex Finley really knows how to write a good, fast-paced crime thriller! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Jenna, Nico, and Donnie were best friends when they lived as foster siblings in a group house, the Savior House, for orphaned teens. But when teenage girls started going missing, the group home was forced to shut down, and they were split up. 25 years later, the three are reunited after the death of their friend and foster sibling Ben, and now someone is trying to kill them as well.

I really couldn't put this down! The action-packed thriller starts off with a bang, and as the chapters shifted between each character's perspective and from past to present, it was fun trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I suspected everyone, and while I correctly predicted some twists and turns, it was satisfying to read how everything played out.

Big thank you to netgalley, Alex Finley, and the publishers for offering me an arc to read an exchange for an honest review.

I was instantly hooked by this book. The author does a great job of grabbing you and pulling you in. The story is told in the present but there is a lot of weaving the past in. I liked how the characters reminisced on the past to help give more information to keep the plot going. It's not a fast paced book but smoothly unravels. Even though I found the pace to be a little slow there is a lot of action to keep you reading.

My biggest complaint has to do with the characters. It's obvious from the start how the characters are connected but there's still a lot of intrigue and mystery around their lives and past. There are a lot of characters in the book and at times it's difficult to keep track of everyone. I was drawn to some characters more than others, such as Jenna and Donnie.

The characters are stereotypical (Nico the gambling addict, Jenna the ex-assassin, Donnie the drunk old rock star). I enjoyed the characters at first but the stereotypes got redundant. I was hoping the characters would have more growth. You'd think a man that almost dies being drunk and falling off a ship would stop drinking. Jenna was the most well rounded character.

There aren't too many big plot twists until the end of the book. I was a little confused by the plot twist (definitely didn't see it coming) and would have like it to be cleared up a little more. I still have some questions at the end of the book.

Overall I enjoyed the book. The action and pacing kept me reading even when I started to find the characters annoying.

This one was not my favorites of Alex Finlay's. The Night Shift is an all time favorite but this one just didn't do it for me. I didn't connect to any of the characters and often felt a.little bored. I thought the premise was over the top and unbelievable. That being said...I will always read Finlay's books!

This book will have you on the edge of your seat. It starts out telling us about the lives of Jenna, a stay at home mom with a past. Her teenage stepdaughter and her seem to be at odds constantly. Then there's Donnie, the rock star, who is so dependent on alcohol, he seems to be a disappointment to his band of numerous years. They tell him its time for him to move on if he can't get help for his habit. Last but not least is Nico, a TV producer of a fairly successful show called The Miners. The problem is Nico has a gambling debt that has several scary people coming to collect on this debt. These three haven't seen each other since their childhood, however they all share a secret. Things begin to happen that makes them realize someone is out to kill them. And it all goes back to their days at Savior House. The author focuses on each of them throughout the chapters. They know they are fighting for their lives. But who wants them dead? This book is a page-turner that will keep you reading until the early hours. They thought their secret was buried forever. Who is trying to kill them? This action packed book is impossible to put down. This was my first book by this author. I'll certainly be looking forward to more. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Alex Finlay writes really good thrillers, but What Have We Done is not at the same level as The Night Shift, although it is still a wild read. Donnie, Nico and Jenna grew up in a horrible group home, ironically named Savior House. All escaped to "better" lives and now 25 years later we find Donnie as an aging rock star, Nico as a reality TV producer, and Jenna as a retired assassin and now happy wife and stepmother. Another of their group-home friends is a tech billionaire. Someone is out to kill these four. Ben, another Savior House survivor and a respected judge, already has been murdered. The motive lies in the past and their time as Savior House. The book is told through multiple POVs and switches time lines to an extent. I enjoyed the Jenna character but couldn't connect with Donnie or Nico and the killers were kind of ridiculous. Still, the book is action packed and quick to get through.

First off, thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Alex Finlay books almost always grip me from the very first pages. What Have We Done however did not. I ultimately ended up DNF at 50%. Because Alex Finlay is a fabulous thriller author, I do plan to pick this book back up in the future to see if I can finish it. It was a bit flat compared to his other books.

This is definitely a popcorn thriller, at times reading more like a screenplay for a movie than novel! Although it was good, I wouldn’t say it was great. I was disappointed with the way the story wrapped up and felt some of twists were a bit underwhelming. All that said, the book was well written, and I really look forward to Finlay’s next novel!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of “What Have We Done”.

I'm a fan of Alex Finlay's past works, but his one seemed to miss the mark a bit. The plot seemed to drag on, with all the different perspectives there was so much reading of what we know. I wasn't fully committed to the motivations of anyone. The country boy personal of Donnie:s character was grating. More work could have gone into this imo.

This is a fast paced action packed book that was fun to read! It quickly grabbed my interest and kept me guessing throughout. There were things I predicted but other aspects were unexpected. I would have loved to get to know the characters a bit more as each was really only defined by one characteristic and felt a bit flat. I would absolutely read a book just about Jenna’s background story, she definitely was the most intriguing to me. The ending left me with some questions and a few things didn’t really add up, but I still enjoyed reading it.

This is very OTT and not at all believable, but it’s an entertaining action movie type popcorn thriller that I recommend when you’re in the mood for a fast fun read.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted DRC.

An assassin, rockstar, TV producer, federal judge, and tech billionaire all have something in common. All of them are trying to be brutally murdered by someone. Why are they being attacked and what secrets will be uncovered along the way?

This book has the intensity and pacing of an action movie. The chapters are so short, making it easy to fly through. The story is told from 5+ perspectives and covers two different timelines. There is so much going on it just makes you want to keep reading and not stop until you know the ending. I will say that I did ultimately guess who was behind it all but there was lots along the way that I did not guess. If I hadn't of guessed who was behind it all, it would have been a 5 star easy. Even the epilogue will have you flying you through the pages. No paragraph is safe from the crazy action and I loved every page of this book!

I felt let down by this book. There just wasn’t enough twists in the story line to keep me interested. Different points of view in different timelines was a very interesting way to tell the story but some times it was a little difficult to keep up.